Love Lost and Love Found
by Skippie89
Summary: This is a reviewed edition of the previous DAII I was working on. What would happen if Hawke and Fenris knew each other before Kirkwall? Would they recognise each other? Would tricks be played on their subconscious? What exactly does Fenris remember after that special night?
1. Chapter 1

The little girl was happily humming to herself as she sat in a field of flowers, there was a gentle breeze lightly tousling the long stems of grass. The flowers were of all shapes and colours, she had earlier picked some of her favourite colours, purple, blue and yellow. Sitting cross-legged in her favourite yellow dress, she wove the flowers together. Using her nail, she split the stem open slightly, enough to thread through another flower stem. She kept going until she finished making her crown of multicolour flowers.

Jumping to her feet, she twirled around as she placed the crown on her head. The light hit her red curls in such a way that made them glow. The young girl twirled faster and faster until she got dizzy and lost her balance. Falling on her back she spread out her arms and legs and let out a breathless laugh.

It was out of the corner of her eye that she saw movement. Sitting up slightly she leaned back on her elbows and looked in the direction of the trees on the outskirt of the field. Standing there was a boy. Maybe a little older than her. He looked taller than her. His brown trousers were too short for his legs and his tunic was at least a size too big and only a shade lighter than his pants. His dark hair was just past his ears, some even barely touching his shoulders.

He was looking around, clearly as confused as to why he was here as she was. Then as suddenly as he appeared, he was gone.

It was another three days before the boy showed up again. He was wearing the same clothes as last time but was slightly closer to the field than last time.

"Hi."

The boy spun around at the sound of the girl's voice. Sitting there, leaning against the base of a tree was a girl. Her hair was separated into two long braids that fell to her waist and when the sun came through the trees, he could see the red colour. She was wearing a deep green dress, the sleeves stopped at her elbows, the hem of her skirt ended just below her knees and she was barefoot.

When he didn't answer she tried a few different languages until she finally got a reaction.

"You know a lot" was his only response.

"I like to learn."

Peering up at him from beneath her long lashes, she watched as he stared around the area with a look of confusion.

"How did you get here?"

Looking down at her, his brows furrowed.

"Where is here?"

"The Fade." From the deepening of his frown, she didn't think he understood. "It's the place where we dream, and for mages, it's where we get our magic."

"Are you a mage?"

"I don't know. My father is, so I hope I grow up to be like him."

"So, you want to be a magister?"

He laughed when she scrunched up her face. Hearing him laugh caused her face to light up in a smile. They continued talking like this for the rest of the day.

It was about four weeks later that she finally re-asked the question.

"So, how did you get here?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I just appear, and you're always here."

"But we're in the Fade. And we're in my section of it."

"Section?"

"My father told me that mages can block off sections of the Fade to help protect against demons, put up a barrier of sorts. He taught me how to do it, said he wanted me to be able to protect myself, even if I wasn't a mage."

"You're not a mage then?"

"Well, I haven't been able to cast any spells. But I have a pretty strong connection when I'm here. Watch this!"

She got up, stood in front of him and spread her arms wide. Closing her eyes, he watched as the air around them began to waver and shimmer, the scenery slowly changing. Soon, instead of the field and trees surrounding them, they were standing on the sand looking out at the sea.

Lowering her arms, she turned around with a big smile on her face as she saw the look of awe on his.

"I've never seen the sea before..."

"I know, I remember."

Her smile kept getting bigger as she watched his reaction to the change. He took his shoes off and wriggled his toes in the sand before tentatively stepping into the water.

"It feels so real."

"We lived by the sea over a year ago. This was my favourite place. I came out here every day."

"How are you able to do all this?"

"From what I've read the Fade is also called the Beyond. It actually looks a dark world filled with raw lyruim but the landscape that we see is shaped from our dreams or memories. That's how demons or spirits are able to manipulate the mortals who enter it because they can take the shape of our memories or dreams. Mages are able to tap into the source of the Fade; it's how mages are able to cast magic and why mages are more conscious in the Fade when they dream. I'm simply creating this from my memory."

"So that is the reason that mages are feared in Thedas?"

"I guess so? People are easily corrupted and that's what demons prey upon."

"Is it true that is where the dead go?"

"It depends on who you ask."

"What do you mean?"

"The Chantry teaches us that our souls pass through the Fade on the way to the Maker's side. But if you have committed sins then your soul is trapped in the Fade and doomed to wander endlessly. The Dalish believe that the souls of their ancestors wander the Fade to gather knowledge and then will return to them at a later point and therefore they don't really die. And then the Qunari call the Fade, the Land of the Dead."

"What about dwarves though?"

"I'm not too sure. I don't know of any dwarf that can use magic or even dream."

Their conversation tapered off as they watched the sun slowly set on the horizon. Turning, he ran up to her, picked her up and spun her around, his smile breathtaking.

"Thank you."

It was two years later that he found her back in the field surrounded by books. She could tell his steps were a bit more hesitant than normal.

"What are you doing?"

Looking up at him, she smiled. Her curly red hair pooled around her, the tendrils laying on the grass before the breeze gently moved them. She was wearing a deep blue dress today, the sleeves cut over just by her shoulders, the skirt hiked up above her knees so she could sit cross-legged on the grass. He could feel a blush slowly creep up his neck as he looked at her, internally willing for it to go back down.

"Research. There's only so much I can do normally, so I decided to do some here too."

"Research on what?"

"On you." Seeing his confused expression, she continued on, "well your abilities."

"Abilities?"

Patting down on the grass beside her, she waiting until he was seated before continuing.

"Yes, I was talking to Dad and apparently, you being able to slip through the barrier I've placed to section off part of the Fade without me feeling it is unheard of. And you're not a demon, I already checked."

"Gee thanks."

"Leto, you're special. The books I've already read mention an ability called Fade Walking. Would you like to read what I've found?"

At the mention of reading Leto suddenly tensed, and stammered, "I… eh… I…"

Turning her head, she silently regarded him. He was staring straight ahead, his legs were crossed like hers, but his right leg was bouncing slightly as he was wringing his hands. Then it dawned on her.

"I could teach you."

Jerking, he turned his full body to regard her.

"I… eh…" dropping his head slightly until his hair covered his eyes, "slaves aren't permitted to read."

Realising that she was learning a bit more about him, a sad smile formed on her lips.

"You're not a slave Leto, not here anyway."

Placing her hand on his bouncing knee, she squeezed.

"We'll start slow, look…" she opened her hand and waved it over an open piece of grass and he watched as parchments and pieces of coal materialised. His lips changed into a smirk; she was getting much better at this.

They spent the next hour going over the alphabet, Leto slowly copying the letters after she wrote them.

"This is how you write your name," holding up the parchment she watched as a slow shy smile appeared on his face.

"And this is how you write mine," bringing the parchment down to her lap, he watched as she quickly scrawled something onto it before bringing it back up to his eye level.

The smile stayed on his face as he memorised the six letters she just wrote.

Faelyn.


	2. Chapter 2

It was over a year later in late Autumn when Leto appeared to find Faelyn pacing. She must have been doing it for some time as her walking pattern had already been dented into the grass.

"Fae? Is everything alright?"

Her head snapped up to the sound of his voice. Without a second thought, she ran up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head into his chest. Physical contact between them was not something new, but it still took Leto a moment to register what just happened and wrap his arms around her and holding her close.

She muttered something but even with his heightened hearing he couldn't make it out.

"Excuse me?"

Not letting go, she merely tilted her head and repeated in a low voice.

"Bethany used magic today."

"Oh."

He didn't say anything else, he just held her. Leto knew this was a cause of anxiety for her, at the age of twelve she still hadn't manifested any magical abilities other than amazing control over the Fade. And so, they stayed that way for the rest of their time that day. She clung to him, hiding her face in the attempt to muffle the sound of her crying and Leto soothingly running his hand up and down her back.

It wasn't until Faelyn's thirteenth birthday that they would realise that her worrying was for nought. When Leto entered the clearing, he was welcomed to the sight of Faelyn dancing around to music that could only be going on inside her head.

Crossing his arms, he leaned against a tree and watched her. Entranced didn't feel strong enough of a word for what he felt when watching her. Enraptured? No, that still didn't feel right. Unknown to him, a smile crept to his lips as he watched her spin while raising her arms to the sky. Her melodic laugh sounded like heaven to his ears and his breath caught in his throat when she turned her gold eyes to his green. He was able to clearly make out the excitement and delight shining in their depths.

"I did it! I used magic today!"

Both not realising they had already started walking towards each other, stopped when they were a mere pace away. Squealing in delight, Faelyn ran and jumped, Leto laughing along with her as he caught her and spun her around before placing her back on the ground.

"See? I knew you could do it. What happened?"

Looking down at her feet, Leto could see a blush rise up on her cheeks.

"Some town kids were being really mean to Carver and Bethany. They were saying some really nasty things when I asked them to stop, they didn't and only just got worse and… and they just made me so MAD!"

Leto tried to hold back a laugh as he watched her cross her arms and pout before stomping her foot to punctuate her point.

"I kept thinking that water would cool them off. And I kept getting angrier until I imagined a large ball of water just dunking on them! And then it happened. They were suddenly covered in cold water."

"The twins and I ran back home and told Dad. He then tested out my abilities by getting me to perform difference spells, and I could do it all!"

For the remainder of the evening, Leto watched as Faelyn showed him everything her father had taught her so far.

"That's amazing Fae! You've already learned so much!"

"Well, it helped that I had been reading books on the matter for a long time."

"But still, your magic is beautiful. You'll be an amazing and powerful mage one day, and you'll show the world that not all mages are evil."

Faelyn could do nothing but squeak out a thank you, as a blush lit up her face, which she ducked and tried to hide with her hair.

They were having a nice relaxed day. Faelyn was leaning against the base of a tree reading a book on ancient Elven languages and culture. Leto was laying on the ground with his head on her lap reading a book on swordplay.

He almost groaned out loud when he felt her nimble fingers start to play with his hair. He knew she only did it when she was really concentrating on something but for him it was torture. Using all his willpower he tried to focus on his book, but his eyes slowly slid closed at the sensations he was feeling.

That was until he felt one of her fingers glide over the edge of his ear. When he realised that the moan, he heard was actually his own, his eyes snapped open and he instantly shot up into a seated position.

"Leto? Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"

Willing his heart rate to go back to normal, he didn't dare turn around to answer her.

"Yes… eh… elven ears can be pretty sensitive…"

"Oh!"

Realisation dawned on her and a blush crept up her neck to her face. Suddenly determined she asked, "What would happen if I kissed one of them?"

Leto took in an audible gasp and turned his wide green eyes to lock with hers. Unknown to him, she had been planning this since her sixteenth birthday. She had hoped he would kiss her then but when that didn't happen, she knew she would need to make the first move.

Faelyn watched with a smile on her face as Leto opened and closed his mouth repeatedly. Placing the book down, she moved to slowly crawl over to him. Watching as the pulse on his neck quickened, how his Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed, how his eyes raked over her face and body until they settled on her eyes.

Lifting her skirt up slightly Faelyn proceeded to crawl on to his lap until she was straddling his hips. Keeping eye contact for as long as she could before she leaned forward until her lips were beside his right ear.

Gently whispering, she repeated the question.

"What would happen if I kissed right here?"

To punctuate her point, she gently flicked the tip of her tongue against the line on his ear. Faelyn felt a thrill throughout her whole body the instant he grabbed her hips and groaned. When he said her name, it was breathy and just the sound alone caused her to intake breath, causing his grip on her hips to tighten.

Leaning back to look at him in the eyes, she relished in the change. His pupils had dilated and he was panting, to her, he looked wild and she loved it. Shifting her weight slightly, she moved again until her lips were barely touching his, all the while, keeping eye contact.

"What if I kiss here?"

Her hot breath against his skin was his undoing. Lifting his hand to the base of her neck before closing the distance. The kiss was messy and inexperienced but neither of them cared. To Faelyn it felt as if her entire body was humming and on fire at the same time. When they finally had to come up for air Faelyn was smiling brightly.

"About time! I've been waiting for that since my birthday!"

Leto laughed and shook his head before pulling her down for another heated kiss. After all, how else were they going to get better if they didn't practice?

Faelyn and Leto would spend their time together just enjoying each other's company, both intellectually and physically. Leto was quite intelligent as was able to easily keep up with Faelyn's sharp mind and she loved his witty retorts and sarcasm.

He began opening up more to her as he told her about his life in the Imperium, his sister Varania and his mother. He didn't know much about his father, his mother never wanted to talk about him and would always change the subject. They would lie in the open field, his head either resting on her lap as she played with his hair or on her stomach as they held hands. Faelyn loved to listen to his voice, so she was delighted when he told her that he had convinced the head of the guards to teach him how to use a sword because of the sheer joy in his voice as he spoke.

As Faelyn was being taught how to use daggers in close combat they both agreed that it would be good for them to practice. Faelyn was never able to overcome Leto's strength but she was fast.

The end of training normally led to clothes being scattered across the area and them holding each other in a heated embrace and it continued that way for another two years.

It was shortly after her eighteenth birthday that everything changed.

Leto was looking forward to seeing her today, he had important news that he wanted to share with her but when Leto entered the clearing that evening it wasn't like the normal hundred of times before. It was dark, a biting wind tore through him and he immediately wrapped his arms around himself to shield his body from the cold.

Calling her name made no difference, but he knew she was here, he could sense it. When he finally located her, she was lying in the foetal position on a dead patch of grass, tears streaming down her face and a dead look in her eyes.

Fear instantly grasped his heart and he fell to his knees before moving to comfort her. Laying down in front of her he brought her body closer to his. He tucked her head under his chin, her hands that were trapped between their bodies grabbed at his tunic and his arms held her tight against him.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Faelyn did nothing but burry herself closer to him and his eyes widen in shock as the world around him changed and he could do nothing but silently watch.

Faelyn and an older man were walking on a dirt road out of town. From the similarities Leto presumed that the man was her father. Fae was wearing dark leggings and boots, and the dark green tunic she wore barely covered the daggers that she had strapped to her thighs. Her hair was tied back into a loose braid and fell over her left shoulder. Her father wore a white shirt and scruffy black pants, his arm was over her shoulder as he held her in place to tousle her hair. They were laughing and talking and a smile crept on to Leto's features as he watched them interact.

They were no more than a mile outside of town when a group of Templars stepped out from the encroaching trees, causing Faelyn's father to push her behind him and take up a defensive stance. He watched with dread as one of the Templars placed him in a magic bind as another grabbed Faelyn and held her back as she fought and screamed for them to let her father go.

Grabbing one of her daggers she stabbed at the Templar in the leg and in shock he let her go. She then charged at the Templar chanting in order to break the link and free her father. Chaos then ensued as the two of them fought off the Templars. Leto watched in horror as one of them escaped, unknown to Fae and her father and ran towards the town.

A Templar managed to disarm Fae and with no other weapons, she relied on her magic and sent one of the Templars soaring into a tree. Realising that they were fighting against two mages, one of them attempted to put Fae into a magic bind. Leto could do nothing but gasp for breath and subconsciously hold her tighter as he watched the confusion on the face of Fae the illusion. She merely blinked and held up her hand to send lightning at the Templar and send him flying backwards. It was at that point that every person stopped and stared at her. Leto could make out her father shouting at her to run, but Fae just stood there slightly disorientated and confused.

It was at this point that more Templars rounded the corner, there was too many for them to fight off. Leto's heart rate increased rapidly and he quickly glanced down at the woman in his arms. Then it was as if everything happened in slow motion.

One of the Templars came behind her father and impaled him on his greatsword. Leto could see the look of disbelief on his face before the weapon was wrenched from his body and he fell to his knees, his hands coming up to try and stop the flow of blood coming from the open wound.

Pushing two of the Templars out of the way Fae ran to her father's side and slid to the floor to catch him before he fell. At this point, five or so Templars started to bind her magic but all Fae could do was hold her dying father and beg him not to leave. When he took his last breath, she screamed and buried her face in his shoulder, anger and devastation causing her body to shake violently.

Slowly looking up she glared at each Templar and Leto could see the pure rage in her eyes. He watched as the gold of her iris's seemed to cover her entire eyes and suddenly as she screamed pure magic flew from her body and pierced every Templar through the heart. While each of them sank to the floor dead the scenery slowly changed back to the field that Leto had originally entered.

Looking down he realised that her tears had stopped, but the look in her eyes hadn't changed. Bringing his hand up to cup her jaw he tilted her face until she looked at him.

"I am so sorry."

Something sparked in the depths of her eyes and he just went along with it when she kissed him. It was desperate and pleading, nothing like the normal heated and loving kisses that they shared before.

Her fingers started fumbling with the buttons of his tunic and without knowing how, he suddenly found himself topless. Rolling them both until she straddled his hips, Fae lifted her arms and ground into him, to urge that he return the curtesy. Peeling the tunic from her body he used his right hand to palm at her ass and grind her into him harder and his left to grasp at her scalp to bring her down for another kiss.

The sound of her voice brought him back to his senses. Using his grip, he halted her hips and pulled back from the kiss to rest his forehead against hers.

"Fae, is this even a good idea? After what you just went through, you-"

"Leto, please. I need you. I need to forget, even if it's only for a little while. I-"

Leto captured the choked sob with his lips as he manoeuvred them until she lay on her back and his weight rested on her. Between the two of them, they quickly rid themselves of their remaining clothes.

When he finally sank into her, she cried out and dug her nails into his shoulder and him to ground herself. He gave her a moment to get used to his size, it didn't matter how many times they had coupled before, she was still breathtakingly tight.

Grinding her hips into him was his cue to move, sliding out of her, even as her body was trying to pull him back in, he waited until just the tip was left and looked into her eyes. There were so many emotions swirling around in their golden depths. He thrust back in hard and fast causing Fae's back to arch, her eyes to close and a moan escapes her parted lips.

It wasn't long before both were covered in a sheen of sweat and were a panting and moaning mess. Hooking her right foot at the back of his left knee she added enough weight that she could roll them over so that she was once again straddling him. Fae began to ride him hard and fast, his pelvic bone rubbing against her clit and he was angled in such a way that he was constantly hitting her sweet spot. Leto loved this position for one main reason. He loved to watch her come undone, and come undone she did, bringing him right along with her.

Leto held her to his chest as their breathing slowed down, tracing light patterns on her back with his fingers. He knew he had to tell her.

"I'm entering a contest tomorrow."

"Contest?"

Her voice was raw and hoarse and she used her elbow to prop herself up so she could look at him in the face.

"My… Master… is holding a contest. With the prize money I can buy the freedom of my family."

Tracing patterns on his chest, almost mimicking the one he was drawing on her back she could do nothing but simply nod at him.

"I'm then going to work to save enough gold."

"Enough gold for what?"

"Enough gold to come and find you."

At that Faelyn gasped and tears started falling from her eyes again. She thought she had no more left to give. Bringing his hand up he gently wiped them away, his smile was small and shy and hope shined from his eyes as he watched her.

"I will find you Faelyn. I… I love you."

He had never said it out loud before. He had shown her through actions, yes, but had never actually verbalised it.

"I love you too Leto."

Smiling she leaned down to kiss him. It was gentle and filled with love. Leto reached for his trousers and pulled something out of his pocket, lifting it up to show her.

"What is it?"

"A promise ring." He didn't say any more as he slipped it on to her finger.

She looked at it in awe. It was silver, the design clearly Dalish due to the woven ivy pattern.

"It belonged to my mother. I told her about us, she didn't believe me at first but when she did and she saw how happy I was she gave me this. She said it was a family heirloom. I will give you the real ring when I see you outside of the Fade."

Faelyn kissed him again before resting her head on his shoulder and admiring the delicate ring on her finger. Her heartbeat increased with joy at the thought of meeting him outside the Fade. They had talked about it before, but this was the first time that it felt real. She would see him.

"Promise me Leto. Promise that you won't ever forget. That you will find me, that we will be together."

Bringing his lips closer to her, he simply said "I promise. I will win and I will find you," before kissing her forehead. They stayed cuddled up together until sleep overtook them.

That morning when Faelyn woke up, she gasped in shock and delight. There, on her finger was a silver ring of woven ivy.


	3. Chapter 3

**_10 years later…_**

The woman gasped as she watched the enormous horde of Darkspawn charge the king's army on the battle ground. From her vantage point, she could see that the darkspawn vastly outnumbered the army. There was only one thought going through her mind.

"I must find them! Carver, where are you? Athena, please be safe!"

Looking up she saw a group of genlock rush towards her, blowing the wisps of crimson hair from her face she grabbed her daggers from behind her back and rushed headlong into the battle. Ducking as the first genlock swung his axe she used her blade to carve its way across its stomach. She darted around the next and sliced its neck open, hearing it gurgle the blood spilt from the open wound.

This battle dance continued long enough for her to feel the strain it was having on her body. She was panting hard by the time she jumped off the shoulders of the dead ogre she had just slain. She could feel the eyes of the other soldiers on her, some looked in awe while others looked on in terror. It must have been a sight to behold, she was wearing her leather armour; barely a scratch on it, her two blades dripping with blood, the sunset making her hair seem to be on fire, surrounded by piles of darkspawn bodies, waiting for the next onslaught to begin.

That's when she saw him. The glint of his giant sword caught her eye as he felled a couple of darkspawn in one swing. He was on the bridge, flanked by enemies on both sides but she could see the fierce determination on his face. To her horror she watched as a hurlock's mace caught him on the shoulder sending him flying against the wall. Frantically looking around she found a rope and darted towards it weaving through the arrows flying across the battlefield. Grabbing it she started tying a loop before she threw at a statue which it thankfully caught. Pulling tight she watched as Carver struggled to keep his defence up.

"Maker let's hope this works..."

Running she jumped off the side of the cliff and used her weight to steer herself towards the darkspawn standing over Carver. As she neared, Carver's eyes widened with recognition, grinning she hit the hurlock straight in the chest, knocking it off the bridge straight to its death. Grabbing Carver by the arm she pulled him to his feet.

"Fae? What in the Marker's name are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? Saving your ass! Do you have any idea what mother would do to me if I didn't? I fear her more than I do these disgusting creatures"

"But we're surrounded!"

"We'll get through this. Together."

He gave her a smirk, back to back the battle dance began anew. Her daggers sliced through flesh. Carver decapitated foes. They worked in perfect harmony, her speed and his strength. Hearing his war cry as he knocked three genlock off the bridge cause the woman to laugh before pulling a small crossbow from its holding on her thigh and shot four in the head consecutively.

That's when she felt it. The pain. It caught her off guard for a second but she couldn't think about that now. She couldn't think that something had happened to Athena, she had to focus on getting them safely home.

Jumping off the horse Faelyn gently helped Carver down as they heard their mother and Bethany running up behind them. Easing Carver gently to a seated position on the floor, Bethany knelt beside him and started healing him with her magic, not daring to look up at the sight of her sister.

"By Andraste! What happened? You're covered in blood!" exclaimed our mother as she used the bottom of her apron to try wipe the blood off her daughter's face.

"Mother we need to go, and now!"

The terror in her mother's startled expression spoke volumes. Faelyn's heart squeezed with pain as she looked up at the house which she called home. The place her father had lived in, where he taught her how to use her skills. Memories came flooding back and she shut her eyes trying to stifle the tears that she could feel welling up.

When Faelyn opened them, she could see mother rushing inside, most likely gathering some supplies. Since they had to travel often when they were young mother made quick work of this. Bethany stood, not being able to stand the pain in her eyes Faelyn wrapped her arms around her. As Bethany grabbed the back of her tunic, Faelyn felt her tremble. Faelyn pulled out the ring that she carried on a chain from under her tunic and as she grasped it in her hand, she vowed to keep them safe.

Barely making it out of Lothering in time, we ran up the mountainous path. Bethany used a fire spell to stop the darkspawn from following us, while Carver and I made quickly dispatched the ones that got through.

Stopping to catch a breath, I surveyed the surrounding landscape, looking out for any darkspawn that may decide to crawl down the rocks at the side of the small trail. Sniggering to myself.

_Could they really be that smart?_

Tuning out the twins squabbling I tried planning out an escape route,  
_Where would we go though…_

Turning to look at my family with sad eyes. Having enough of their foolishness;

"Listen you two, the darkspawn could be on us at any moment"

"Please listen to your sister"

The twins looked shamefully down at their feet before Carver looked up "Ok, lead on sister"

As we continued on, we decided to head to Kirkwall. It was a city across the water. It was originally where our mother was from, where our parents met. From what Faelyn remembered reading, the city was separated by class; Hightown for the nobles and Darktown for those who could barely afford to put a roof over their heads. It was also not the safest of places due to the number of Templars but they had family there. It may be the only family they have left.

Turning the corner, they came upon two warriors surrounded by a group of darkspawn. Before thinking Carver and Faelyn rushed to help them. Hearing a cry, Faelyn turned to find the man injured and backing away from a hurlock. That's when she noticed his armour.

"A blasted templar," she sneered.

The two of them made quick work of the remaining group as the female crushed the one who had injured her partner.

"Well, the Maker has a sense of humour. A templar. In Lothering…"

Feeling Bethany move into a defensive position Faelyn took up a stance standing between her and the man.

"Apostate" he muttered moving forward.

Faelyn's back straightened and her eyes steeled over. Remembering back to a time when someone important told her she could be terrifying when she wanted, from the terrified glint in the templar's eyes it caused her to falter slightly with the onslaught of memories.

The female warrior stood forward, introducing herself as Aveline and the man to be her husband Wesley. She noticed Faelyn's shocked expression but seemed to decide against making a comment on it.

Faelyn felt suddenly... wrong. Looking around she noticed nothing coming to them. But she couldn't shake the feeling she had. The hairs stood at the back of her neck and wouldn't go down. Bethany seemed to sense her distress because she moved forward and placed her hand on Faelyn's arm. She gave her a thankful smile before turning her attention back to the conversation.

"But the Wilds are to the south!" Carver gripped the hilt of his sword, his anger visible on this face.

"We don't have any other choice. We go south."

Carver looked at Faelyn as if she'd grown another head before he opened his mouth to object, the anger glinting in his eyes.

Raising her hand "I meant what I said during the battle. We will get through this together."

He nodded and then started walking on ahead. Sighing, she followed, "Maker... He's going to stay mad at me for a while now... Stubborn ass..."

From behind her, she could hear Bethany offer to heal Wesley's wound. His offensive rebuttal got Faelyn's back up and she turned her head.

"Just make sure you keep that Templar away from my sister".

Nothing further was said as darkspawn rounded the corner. Carver and Faelyn charged while Aveline stayed back to protect the others. Faelyn couldn't help but smile to herself, the female warrior seemed more like a shield than the sword she claimed she'd be for her husband.

As they climbed higher Faelyn's sense of dread increased. She kept looking around frantically, looking for the enemy which she knew was coming. Stepping over the bodies which she had caused with my crossbow, she wasn't left waiting for long. The ground trembled as the ogre charged for their group. Faelyn barely dived away in time. Her eyes widen in pure terror as she saw it head straight in the direction of Bethany and my mother.

Before she realised what, she was doing she was on my feet and chanting. The warm familiar glow enveloped her and she faintly heard Aveline gasp at what she saw. Faelyn plunged her hand into the air, half of it disappearing, while a flaming hand appeared by the ogre, grabbing it before it had the chance to retaliate against Bethany's attack. Plunging her other hand cause the ogre to be taken by both sides.

"Take cover!"

With all her strength she pulled while the onlookers watched as the ogre was pulled to pieces by the flaming hands which had entrapped it. Falling to the ground she panted, trying to get as much energy back into her body as quickly as possible. Looking up she shouted orders to her mix-matched group.

"Aveline get Wesley, Bethany and my mother to the far corner! Be their shield! Carver to me! Bethany! Use your magic! Form as shield around you and the other two, if something happens to Aveline you're their last defence! If we need it send healing magic to us, if not just keep that shield strong!"

Faelyn could see the panic in Bethany's eyes, glancing at mother and the templar and then back to her. She jumped back to her feet and drew her daggers as Bethany put up her barrier. Aveline standing protectively in front of them.

Stand with his back to her, Carver and Faelyn readied ourselves for the coming fight.

"Still tired from your little trick with the ogre" although he was taunting, Faelyn could feel the smile on his face.

"Loser buys ale for a month?" she countered, giving him a little nudge in the ribs.

"You're on!" he shouted as we darted out to destroy the first wave of darkspawn.

Keeping her face straight Faelyn looked around, trying not to betray her emotions. She didn't want the others to lose hope. She had seen all the frightened expressions that could last her a lifetime!

It was while Faelyn was trying to figure out an escape plan that she felt it, the immense surge of mana. The sudden gust of wind blew hair into her face covering the battlefield in red.

"There's no end to them!" Carver cried out in rage and despair.

"Andraste's flaming sword! A DRAGON?!"

With a burst of flames, the dragon coated the entire area in fire, destroying the darkspawn in their path. Transfixed everyone watched as the dragon then shapeshifted into a woman. She was pulling a dead genlock in her left hand before dropping it as she got closer.

"Well well, what have we here? It used to be we never got visitors to the Wilds but now they arrive in hoards"

The woman's hair was white, tied up into what almost resembled horns. She looked no older than mother.

"Impressive, where'd you learn how to turn into a dragon?"

"Perhaps I am a dragon. If so count yourself lucky. The smell of burning darkspawn does nothing for the appetite." Turning her back "If you wish to flee the darkspawn, you should know you're heading in the wrong direction."

Carver gaped "You're just going to leave us here?"

"And why not?" Turning back to us "I spotted a most curious sight: a mighty ogre, vanquished! Who could perform such a feat? But now my curiosity is sated, and you are safe... for the moment. Is that not enough?"

"We won't be able to get through the darkspawn on our own."

Looking up Faelyn flinched to see that the was watching her intently.

"They are everywhere or soon will be. Where is it you plan to run to, hmm?

Pumping up his chest Carver admitted "To Kirkwall, in the Free Marches."

"Kirkwall? My, but that is quite the voyage you plan. So far simply to flee the darkspawn."

Feeling her agitation getting the better of her, Faelyn's voice was dripping with sarcasm "Any better suggestions? I hear the Deep Roads are vacant now."

Giving a hearty laugh the dragon lady turns "Oh you I like! Hurtled into the chaos, you fight... and the world will shake before you. Is it fate or chance? I can never decide. It appears fortune smiles on us both today. I may be able to help you yet."

Raising an eyebrow "there must be a catch."

"There is always a catch. Life is a catch! I suggest you catch it while you can!"

"I know what she is." Turning to see Aveline crouching over Wesley as he lay on the ground "The Witch of the Wilds."

"What choice do we have? Can your strength stand to fight all the darkspawn?" Angrily Faelyn pointed to the number of dead corpses surrounding them.

"There is a clan of Dalish elves near the city of Kirkwall. Bring this amulet to their leader and do what she asks."

Folding her arms across her chest, Faelyn eyed this mysterious woman before her. She knew of the clan that she spoke of and did not remember this woman being among them during the time they had spent together. But what choice did they have?

Faelyn silently walked to the edge of the cliff overlooking the surrounding land. There were fires everywhere, she could make out the dead bodies littering the ground and from the disjointed movements, it was only darkspawn alive down below. If they didn't die fighting, they could catch the taint. Once again, she took out the chain from underneath her tunic and looked at the ring she held in her palm. Grasping it in her hand, she turned.

"We have a deal."

"Good, but first we have a matter with the templar..."

"No!" Aveline stood angrily in front of her mate.

"What is done to your man is beyond healing. It's already in his blood."

Bethany's hands flew to her mouth, her skin turning pale as she looked at the man. Her voice barely a whisper…

"The taint…"

"Aveline please..." Wesley was taking in quick shallow breathes. That was never a good sign. "I can already feel it in my blood. The taint is a slow death I can't..."

Eyes brimming with tears Aveline looked at Faelyn, almost as if she should come to the decision for her.

"He's your husband Aveline. I can't make this decision."

Looking down at her husband, she knelt and took the dagger he was offering.

"Be strong... my love..." with that she plunged the dagger into his chest.

Bethany gasped and turned into mother's protective arms. Carver looked up to his mother's face to see a tear fall. She gave him a tight smile before turning her head in Faelyn's direction. She nodded her head once and tightened her grip on Bethany, letting her know that had she not acted Bethany would not be alive either.

"It is done" and suddenly they were surrounded by a great light. They could feel the mana pulse, enveloping them.

When they awoke, they were on a quiet street by the docks they would need to find a ship to take them to Kirkwall. Groaning Faelyn sat up and rotated her head with the hope that it would help to alleviate the tension in her shoulders.


	4. Chapter 4

Faelyn raced out of the hold of the ship. She revelled at the feeling of the fresh sea wind whipping about her body, setting her wild hair dancing. Her hands clutched and unclutched the railings at the side of the boat, she closed her eyes with a smile as the sun came out from hiding behind the clouds. They had been on the ship for almost two weeks and this had only been her second time above deck and during this little trip Aveline accompanied her.

"Hawke, I need to talk to you. About what you did back in Fereldan."

Faelyn sighed, knowing that this talk was coming but had been desperately trying to put it off.

"Aveline, for the last time, please call me Fae or Faelyn. Anything but Hawke, Hawke was my father. What do you want to know?"

She spoke as she turned around to face Aveline, leaning back against the wood. The sun had heated it slightly and she could feel the warmth course through her body. Aveline was pacing, one hand wrapped around her waist, the other holding her chin thoughtfully as if trying to figure out which question to ask first.

"Are you a mage?"

"Yes."

"Are you a blood mage? The... The hands that grabbed the ogre were those of demons."

She had stopped pacing then and chose to stare straight at Faelyn. The hope and fear were shining clearly in her eyes. Sighing, Faelyn pushed herself away from the side, she ran her hands through her hair, trying to find the words to put this woman at ease. Although they had never spoken of this, in the last few weeks the had grown close, she a good friend, maybe even like a sister.

"No, I am not a blood mage." Aveline visibly sagged with her sigh of relief, "but I am also not a normal mage." Her head shot up, awaiting further explanation.

"You know my father was a mage, right? Beth told you. Magic also runs in my mother's family, Beth is a normal mage, I... well, I'm not."

"What do you mean?"

"Most mages can cast small spells, but in order to focus larger amounts of mana, they need an object, something which they can channel the magic through. I don't need that. I can cast large amounts of advanced magical spells with no need for a focus weapon or object. I also have complete control over the Fade when I'm there."

Hearing her gasp, Faelyn turned to face her. The wind had blown some of her hair out of the ponytail she usually kept it in, brushing against her face it made her complexion seem even paler than usual. Her eyes bore into Faelyn's, the shock shining clearly in their depths.

Those who knew treated her differently. They always did. Even some of my family did, Carver had only come around to what she was recently. Beth... Well, Beth treated her the same as she always did. Mother expected Faelyn to protect them all, to make the decisions, to be the head of the household. All she could manage to do was give Aveline a sad smile and walk past her. Faelyn gasped as strong arms swung around her shoulder, looking to the owner, Aveline gave her a reassuring smile. 

Once arriving at Kirkwall they soon found out that the Gallows was the prison for the mages of the Freemarshes, their "Circle". Fae tried to control her shudder of disgust while they talked to a guard to find out who was in charge of letting people in. 

It seemed her subtle little hint that they knew he was letting people in, instigated a fight. As gratitude, the guard in charge said that he'd see about finding out uncle Gamlen, although apparently, he couldn't "rub two bits together". 

Choosing a sunny place by the end gate, they sat and decided to wait.

"So I'm guessing you don't use magic much." 

Faelyn turned as Aveline slid down to sit beside her. 

"Not really, I use it when I have to. It can have... repercussions if I use it too much, too often. The main one is that Templars will notice my presence and that would mean I can't protect mother and Beth anymore." 

"Good point. But where did you learn your skills? From those I've met, a lot of mages don't think to learn such skills, they always rely on their magic." 

She smiled at the memory, "My cousin taught me, she and I were born on the same day, we seem to have a connection, my guess is from the magic in our bloodline. But we lived near them for some time and it was during this time that I learned how to fight. In the following years, I just honed my skills."

"Does she know that you've come here? To Kirkwall?" 

Hearing Aveline's question, it gave rise to the bit of doubt that had been at her since Ostagar. She pulled her legs toward herself, wrapping her arms around them and resting her head on her knees.

"I... I don't know. I don't even know if she got out of Ostagar." 

Faelyn closed her eyes as she felt the sting of tears. The childhood memories came flooding back. Both her and Athena in the training yard, sparing against each other. Nate teaching her how to use the bow and Athena teasing her about the blush on her face afterwards. Nothing more was said.

"Smugglers..." Carver grumbled as they were led back to Gamlen's... House. Faelyn's irritation reaching its peak as she took a quick intake of breath before trying to speak calmly. 

"Well would you rather we join the mercenaries? Kill people just because we're told to? I chose Athenril because we didn't have to kill needlessly. I'd rather neither but we don't have much choice right now." 

Once they reached Gamlen's house, she could feel that my temper hadn't yet dissipated, pulling Beth behind;

"I need to get out for a while…"

"But..."

"I'll be fine, I'll stick to the shadow's and rooftops so no one will see me. I'll be back within the hour." 

Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek Faelyn walked back out through the alcove. Surveying her surroundings, she looked for a way on to the higher wall. Running straight to the wall she used it to kick herself higher to grab on a wooden ledge and pulled herself up before jumping on to the wall.

_Ugh... I forgot how much of a pain it can be to climb in leathers... Next time I'll leave them behind I think._

Sticking to the shadows and only walking in the light when others could not see her, Faelyn viewed her new city. If she was to protect Beth from the Templar's she would need to know her way around. Fae watched as back passages were used, memorising where they started and ended. Mentally ticking off the checklist in her head.

As the sun started to set Faelyn perched on the stone wall by the large oak tree. A small sad smile appeared on her lips as she pulled the chain from her beneath her shirt. Wishing he was here, she looked down to the object held in her palm, a silver Dalish ring.


	5. Chapter 5

Faelyn had been gone for almost a month this time. When Athenril finally gets hold of her, she will not be pleased by her disappearance. But she couldn't have left Athena to deal with all that trouble herself, could she? Due to the connection, they shared; whether this was as consequence to the magic bloodline we shared or the fact that Fae was a Furian was still uncertain. All they knew was that there was a pull between the two of them. The first time Faelyn learned that she could actually transport herself to Athena's location was nine months ago when Athena was in danger.

Fae had just arrived back at Gamlen's. Due to the late hour everyone else was asleep. That's when she felt it. The panic. Breathing fast and in short breaths Fae doubled over. The feeling overwhelmed her. Her body started acting on its own accord and she started chanting. Although Fae couldn't understand the words but they sounded like ancient Arcanum. When she finally came to, she was standing on a mountain path, below her in the valley there was a battle going on, from the smell, it was darkspawn. There were five people battling a small hoard of them. At that precise moment the sun darted from between clouds. The sunlight hitting one area in particular and her heart stopped.

_Athena! You're alive..._

Without a second thought Fae ran. Jumping off a high bolder, flipped and landed with a sickening crack on the creature that was attacking the redhead with a bow. Drawing her weapons, she cut down the darkspawn standing in the way of getting to Athena. Her eyes widened with realisation, before Athena smirked and simply continued fighting. By the time Fae reached her they were back to back. They worked in perfect unison to fight off the rest. Fae grabbed her arm and spun her so she kicked the heads of two hurlocks with such force that their necks broke. Faelyn then spun around, taking a third down with the head shot as it blindly attacked the blond warrior. Picking up an axe she threw it at the head of one attacking the mage. Finally, using her speed, Faelyn darted around the others, cutting down as many darkspawn as she could.

"I don't know how you got here, but your timing couldn't have been better" Athena panted once the last of the darkspawn had been defeated. She was sitting on the grass, still gripping the blades in each hand.

Reaching to help her to her feet Fae grinned "I just think you're getting slow in your old age"

"Athena do you know-"

The blond warrior who had come up behind her just stood there with his mouth open, staring at the two of them.

Athena giggled "Alistair this is my cousin, Faelyn. She's the one I told you about." Fae gave her a questioning look but said nothing.

"Cousin?! Athena! She looks like your twin!"

They both had laughed at that point. They were in fact the spitting image of each other. The only difference was that Faelyn's eyes were a molten gold, whereas Athena's were a sapphire blue. Other than that, they were the same height, build, hair colour, etc. Athena made the introductions as the others came closer.

Faelyn began transporting herself between Kirkwall and Athena's locations on a regular basis. It always seemed to be when she was in danger or when they were at camp. She became close friends with the others. Nearly every time she appeared Oghren would challenge her to a drinking competition, which he would win more often than not. Morrigan let her read part of her mother's grimoire, it was a spell which enabled communication between long distances, and a pendant belonging to Athena was instantly enchanted.

Faelyn had also helped in Denerim during the fight against the archdemon. Thankfully everyone thought she was Athena, it made everything much less complicated. Athena had been gravely injured, although without the ritual Morrigan had spoken of, she would most likely be dead. The healers that remained were not strong enough to heal her. It was then that Alistair and Wynne learned what exactly Faelyn was. All she remembered was the gasps of shock and horror as they watched her heal her cousin. Faelyn was bent over, her forehead touching Athena's as she gathered the mana around her and sent it directly into the wounds. Athena's injuries were healed immediately and within seconds her eyes fluttered open.

This time Athena had called Faelyn to help her in Amaranthine. Smiling to herself she remembered being reacquainted with Nate for the first time since he first taught her how to use the bow. Even with years practicing she still couldn't beat him. As they had done in the past, they teamed up to tease Athena, telling other wardens childhood stories and were rewarded by Athena's face flushed with embarrassment.

Faelyn had become good friends with another mage there by the name of Anders, he was flirty, confident and cocky. Not her type but she felt comfortable around him, almost as if he was family. He was definitely more Beth's type but with his heart-breaking personality there was no way in the Maker's name she would introduce them. They had great fun trying to teach Justice about human emotions, especially sarcasm.

Athena had learned that the Keep and town would be attacked at the same time, she hadn't wanted to decide between the two so she called Faelyn to help. She was tasked with protecting the town and had decided to add Anders and Nate to her team.

_I could've done it by myself, don't know why she insisted the others came along…_

Once again Faelyn had to pretend to be Athena. After the Mother had been defeated, Faelyn had ended up staying longer than she normally would have to help with rebuilding. Although the festivities helped, she even got to beat Oghren at his own game! The sight of him and Anders passed out on the floor was enough to set her off giggling again.

"How was Athena this time?" Beth yawned from her curled-up position in the chair. She had been covered by so many blankets Faelyn hadn't even realised she was in the room.

"You mean the new Queen of Fereldan?" She couldn't help it, she fell to the floor with laughter at Beth's shocked expression.

"Really? You're being serious? I thought she loved Alist-" slumped to the floor as she finally put the pieces together. "By the Maker... Alistair was Maric's son..."

Pulling herself up she walked over and gave Beth's shoulders a squeeze. "Yep, she said they'd try to visit as soon as possible. But it's late, I'm drained and although you're now wide awake, I'm heading to bed."

With that Faelyn walked into the bedroom she shared with mother and Beth and without even bothering to remove her clothing she fell into bed. Grinning sleepily to herself...

_Wait until mother hears about this…_

Over the next few weeks, they finished off tasks for Athenril. As it turned out, Carver and Bethany had kept working the month that she was away, using excuses as to why Faelyn wasn't with them when taking or completing a task. It was during one of these tasks that she and Carver learned that a dwarf by the name of Bartrand Tethris was looking to go on an expedition into the Deep Roads.

"What do you think about going into the Deep Roads? By the sounds of the money he's offering, we'd be earning a fair amount, as well as any finds that we make."

"From the excited tone in your voice Fae, we already know that you want to go." Carver was leaning against the stone wall outside our little hovel. His arms were crossed across his chest and his face showed serious concentration. "But we need money, status, anything we can rub into the Templar's faces and I think this might be our ticket to doing that."

"Well if that's how it is then I will definitely join. I shall leave it up to you to decide as to if you want to join or not..."

At this Carver laughed "Since when have you stopped coddling me and allowing me to make my own decisions? You've never done so in the past, what changed?"

Smiling, Fae answered sincerely, "I think it started at Ostagar, it made me realise that you can fend for yourself. Then in the last year you've seemed to stop losing your temper, also the times that I was away you've continued with the tasks Athenril gave and protected mother and Beth. I still see you as my little brother whom I want to protect but I won't stand in your way, it's up to you how you want to live your life and I will do my best to support you." With that Faelyn walked over and gave his arm a squeeze before walking inside. Just as she closed the door she heard Carver's "Thank you.."

After getting a... not so nice refusal from Bartrand they met his brother Varric. While talking to him they learned that a partnership would be a more enticing way to get in on the expedition. Since their year of service to Athenril was over with the amount of money they got from jobs would stay in the family rather than a hefty portion of it going back to her. With Varric's help they started doing odd jobs to reign in the sovereigns. Aveline helped with a few of the jobs but Faelyn decided to leave her out of the less than legal ones.

Although, there was only so much of Carver's complaints about not being hired as a city guard that Faelyn could take. After receiving a letter from Athenril telling her of a contact who was in need of assistance we set off to meet with Anso.


	6. Chapter 6

Faelyn scouted ahead of the group to an abandoned building in the alienage. She never liked bringing Bethany into a fight so if Faelyn could spare her from that she would, but Varric had been occupied that night and she would've gotten an earful if Aveline had gone with them. The area was quiet, too quiet. Faelyn gave a low whistle to let the others know it was all clear. The building was locked tight; cursing herself for forgetting her picks, Faelyn searched the building for a way in.

"I had told you to bring them..." Carver's smug look earned him a glare.

"There's a small window there, but I don't think Carver could get in" Beth pointed to the little opening to the side of the building.

"Told you, you were getting fat," Faelyn said, sticking her tongue at him. With that, she began removing the small leather cuirass she wore to reveal the clothes underneath. Beth had said she looked like a pirate with the clothes that were chosen, a dark red tunic underneath a black corset. The leggings she wore seemed like they were sewn on to her skin and her black boots laced to the knee.

Handing Carver the cuirass Faelyn placed a dagger into her mouth, holding it with her teeth as she climbed up to the window and slipped through. Landing silently on her feet she took in her surroundings. The room looked similar to the main room at Gamlen's. Noticing a trap near the front door she quickly disarmed it before undoing the lock and letting the others inside. Putting her finger to her lips Faelyn used her hands to motion what there were to do. Beth would stand back near the entrance, Carver was to look into the room on the left while she'd look into the larger one.

"One... Two... Three!"

Slamming the door open Faelyn knocked one of her opponents to the ground, grabbing her crossbow and shot the three near the far wall just before she had to drop it and block an attack from a long sword. Using her weight, she pushed him back, dropping him to the floor with a swinging kick which took his feet out from under him. Jumping on top of him, she used her dagger to slit his throat and felt the warmth of his blood as it sprayed her face and neck.

"Guess it wasn't just me then"

Standing up from the now corpse Faelyn turned to see Carver wiping the bloodstains from his face and arms. "How many?"

"Just three" he shrugged as Beth pushed past to make sure she wasn't injured. Lifting her hands up she gave a sheepish grin "Not my blood Beth..."

She handed her a cloth, "I brought a few, I thought you and Carver might need to clean up."

Accepting the cloth Faelyn wiped the blood from her body before turning to the chest that Anso had spoken of. She inserted a dagger into the lock, pushed and twisted. Both siblings had moved to look over her shoulder at the contents. Nothing.

"Asschabs! What's going on? They either moved the contents or Anso wasn't being entirely truthful with us..."

"Come on. There's nothing here so let's leave."

Placing her dagger back in its holder she turned and started looting the bodies. Carver made a disgusted noise and started to help. She was on the last body when Carver and Beth moved to go outside. As Faelyn started walking outside, she counted the coins that she'd taken, placing them in her pouch before walking straight into Carver's back.

"Carver! What the-" They were surrounded.

"That's not the elf!" cried one of the... Tevinter, if the symbols worn on their armour was anything to go by.

"Don't matter! We were told to kill whoever left the building!"

The mercenaries removed their weapons. The sharp twang of a bowstring loosened caught Faelyn's attention as a shaft was loosened at Beth. Reaching out just in time she caught the arrow just before it hit Beth's chest. Letting out a cry Beth stumbled back and fell. Turning back, Faelyn threw the arrow to the ground and withdrew her daggers, throwing one up lightly and catching it.

"Now that wasn't very nice" she stated coldly. "Beth. Barrier. Carver..." her mouth turned upwards in a sinister smile "Let us kill these bastards!"

With that Faelyn jumped forward, her daggers landing in the chest of what seemed to be their captain. He cried out before falling back. With a quick flick of her ankle, the secret dagger in her boot popped out and she used it to kick the next man in the head. She heard the whoosh of Carver's large sword as he hacked at the mercenaries before him. Faelyn had to duck and roll as a large axe swung for her head, jumping to her feet she spun, slicing the men surrounding her. That's when she felt the surge of mana and heard Beth shriek. A magister in the far corner was attacking Beth's barrier.

Faelyn ran forward and dived. With outstretched arms used her weapons to slice open the necks of the two men standing guard over the magister. She was close enough now to see the look of terror on his face. He turned his attention to her, throwing two fireballs at her. Faelyn threw down the daggers so they lodged in the chests of his guards and moved her hands to catch the fireballs sent towards her. She couldn't help but sneer as she watched him pale and stumble backwards as he watched the fireballs be combined into one.

"Bye-bye" sending it straight at him he screamed as the fire consumed him. Faelyn watched as he flailed around before collapsing over the corpse of another.

Turning she realised that they had killed them all. She started counting the number of corpses littering the now bloody alienage.

Thirty-five... We'll have to do something with the bodies, otherwise the elves will be blamed for the carnage and I don't want to see another massacre.

"Beth? You ok?" seeing her give a little nod she continued "Carver and I'll loot the bodies, but once we've finished, I want you to set fire to them until there's nothing left but ash."

She paled a little but simply nodded as she and Carver got to work. Once they place everything of value into a little sack Carver carried and saw to the remains, they headed for the steps exiting the alienage only to find it blocked by another armed man. Shifting into a defensive position Faelyn growled as she reached for a weapon.

"I don't know who you are friend, but you've made a mistake coming here."

"Eh... perhaps you haven't noticed... but the three of us took down your little battalion, and made swift work of it too..."

He flinched as if not expecting Carver to speak, "Lieutenant. I want everyone in the clearing, now!"

At that Faelyn started giggling. Both this man and Beth looked at her as if she'd gone mad.

Carver just smiled and poked Beth before pointing past this man before them "Look."

"Captain..." the man was bleeding from an open wound, stumbling forward. It was quite clear to a trained eye that he would not last much longer.

"That's everyone huh?" Faelyn gibed as the man fell dead, looking very unconcerned as she concentrated on the state of her nails.

"Your men are dead. And your trap has failed."

At the sound of the new voice, Faelyn lost the pretence of being disinterested and stared wide-eyed at the new man in front of her and felt her jaw drop. She snapped it shut so fast it hurt. The familiarity between this man and Leto was uncanny, the main difference was his silver hair, tattoos and scowl. Leto had ebony hair, no tattoos and had the brightest smile.

Fae could feel the pain of when her breath caught and her eyes watered as she felt the onset of an anxiety attack. Everything about him reminded her of Leto, but mostly it was that voice. He sounded exactly like Leto and her heart contracted at the mere thought.

It was as if his body had a pull on hers and Faelyn took an unintentional step forward, her hand grasping at her heart.

"You are going nowhere slave!" cried the man as he went to grab the elf causing the intense feelings within Faelyn.

"I am not a slave!" his whole body lit up as he plunged his hand into the man's chest. The man stared straight at her, his eyes betraying the full terror and pain he felt. Withdrawing his arm, the elf turned.

"I apologise. I did not believe they'd be so numerous." Faelyn felt her lips twitch with a smile when she saw how guilty he looked. Leto used to do the exact same face when he thought he had hurt her in combat…

Fenris watched Fae warily as she continued closer, one hand grasping where her heart would be and the other outstretched and reaching for him. Looking into her eyes he could see the pain and hope held within. There was something about them that-

"Leto?"

The name broke the trance they had been in. The sound of that name from her lips caused the elf to scowl and glare at her.

"My name is Fenris."

Faelyn tried not to let the depression and despair from taking over but it was so difficult when who could have been Leto's twin was standing before her.

"Do you have a brother? Or a cousin? I'm sorry but you just look so much like him."

From his standpoint, he could see that the woman was not grabbing at her heart but at something on the end of a chain.

"If I have a family, I do not know them."

"Oh."

He watched in horror as the woman basically crumbled in on herself. Her eyes glistened with tears and the other young woman came forward and wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

The man engaged him in conversation and he explained about his need for help but unsure where to find it, it was hard to trust others. From the corner of his eye, he watched the two women speak to each other. The older seemed to gather her spirits nearing the end of his discussion. It was decided, they would help him clear out the mansion.

They quickly dispatched the shades throughout the mansion. Knowing that they and the rage demons were drawn to mana, they used Beth as bait while she cast spells. Faelyn was relentless in her attacks, letting out her emotions until their bodies littered the floor.

Her hand was pressed against the wall of the main bedchamber, half slouched over, trying to catch her breath. Fighting that many shades and rage demons had certainly taken their toll. Blowing the piece of hair that had fallen over her face she looked to see Beth sitting on a chair, almost half lying over the table and Carver on the floor sitting against the wall, his head leaning back with his eyes closed.

Standing straight she went about removing the contents of the chests Fenris said they could have. She went to the desk and started routing through the documents, trying to see if they held any clue to this mysterious Denarius.

"Shit!" jumping back as the paper she held burst into flames, along with those on the desktop.

"Sis!" Bethany jumped up and ran over, grabbing her hand to see if Faelyn was harmed.

"What happened?"

"Sorry, I'm just not really with it at the moment…"

Beth grasped her hand in an attempt to console her.

"He looks so much like him Beth…" a single tear escaped to freedom before Faelyn crushed it with the back of her hand as she wiped her cheek.

Giving her hand one more quick squeeze, Beth mumbled as she started pulling me towards the door "Come on, this place gives me the creeps."

"Ah it's not that bad, minus the corpses and that..."

Fenris was leaning against the wall when we got outside. He looked so destitute and angry that Faelyn wanted to just wrap her arms around him and rest her chin on his shoulder. She quickly shook her head to rid herself of that image, as it just brought up images of the last time she was with Leto and Bethany gave her a questioning look.

"Heh. I ran from black magic to have it hunt me at every turn. And now I find myself in the presence of yet another mage." Hearing his voice laced with disgust caused her to straighten up and step slightly in front of Beth. "I saw what you did in there. I should have realised earlier what you were. How long before the temptation is too much and you give in to demons."

This was not Leto. Leto loved magic.

"Bethany has more than proved herself!" Faelyn couldn't help but clench my fists in anger as she moved closer to him until she was staring straight into his eyes.

Giving herself a mental shake before continuing. "Not every mage is the same as your former master. They make decisions based on who they are as a person, the same way it would happen if you gave a normal human a weapon. Do not put all mages into the same group as those… those Monsters!"

"I must seem ungrateful. I apologise. But you say this as a sister to a mage, your vision is also clouded with love for her."

"Here is the coin as Anso promised. And should you be in need of my services I shall be here. If Denarius wants his mansion back..."

Nodding Faelyn walked onwards as Beth and Carver hurried to catch up. Not being able to help herself, she turned to find him watching her.

"Services huh? I might just take you up on that offer..." winking for good measure.

Trying not to giggle like a silly girl as butterflies flew around my stomach...

_Blessed Andraste... I think... He just blushed..._


	7. Author Update

_**Hi everyone!**_

_**Sorry for the delay, unfortunately being able to post new chapters in China without a VPN has been quite difficult. **_

_**I'm not even going to mention the writers block and that my brain has been training to get another story written down!**_

_**The aim is to try and get a new chapter posted every Sunday.**_

_**Again, sorry for the delay.**_

_**Let me know what you think!**_

_**xXx**_


	8. Chapter 7

Hey everyone,  
Sorry for the delay. Unfortunately living in China can make logging in and updating a little difficult at times. But better late than never!  
***********************

She was surrounded by darkness. It seemed that no matter how far Faelyn walked nothing changed about her surroundings. She was just about to give up when she saw a faint glow in the distance. A glow that was getting closer. Getting into a defensive stance she braced herself for whatever was coming, only to feel her body relax as she noticed the person walking towards her. Fenris...

"Fenris? What are you doing here?"

"I am here for you..."

With that, his arm encircled her waist, pulling her closer as his lips crushed hers with a hungry kiss. In shock Faelyn put her hands against his chest and pushed, but her strength was nothing compared to his, if anything it only caused him to tighten his hold on her. Very soon she was returning his kiss. Hearing him growl against her lips caused her body to tremble and heat to flood her body centring around her core.

His lips travelled along her jaw, a hand still holding her lower body to him while his other tangled itself in her hair at the nape of her neck. Faelyn gasped as his teeth gently scratched and pulled at her earlobe before descending, leaving a trail of kisses against her neck. Moving his hand from her back he lifted her left leg to wrap around his waist. Feeling the full length of his arousal against her inner thigh causing her to whimper.  
Lifting his head he looked straight into her eyes with a teasing smile. His jade green eyes were almost black with lust.

_Al…most black... Body's not humming... Wha... What happened to the lyrium?_

Faelyn's body straightened as she realised what was happening. With all her might she pushed against the body holding her, finally breaking free. Bracing herself, hand to her chest she looked back as she panted hard. The image of Fenris flickered, slowly revealing that of a Desire Demon.

"So you realised? What a clever little mage..." it purred, "But is this not what you want? To be desired?"

"Not from the likes of you!"

Faelyn's hands flared up with blue flames as she charged the demon.

Faelyn's body jolted as she sat up in bed, nightdress was soaked with sweat as she went over the events that happened that night.

_Heh. Desire demon used your wet dream against you..._

Stretching she noticed the early morning light. As she knew she wouldn't get back to sleep, Faelyn got up and dressed for the day. Leaving a note as to her whereabouts she left the hovel, quickly jumping against the wall to grab on to the higher level, using her own way out of Kirkwall.

In the time spent in Kirkwall Faelyn had the entire city mapped out, she knew every nook and cranny. Thus, she found a quick and easy way out of the city using the walls and rooftops. Upon reaching the outer wall she swung down to land gracefully on an oak branch before dropping quietly to the ground.

Walking out to the forest nearby Faelyn retraced the path down through it. Entering the little clearing she had found a few months ago and started picking the Elfroot, tossing it into the little sack she had brought with her. It wasn't until it was half full that she noticed a presence behind her. Gripping the bag she stood up, walking forward as if she hadn't noticed. Once in the shade she dropped the bag, sprung up into the nearest tree and waited. The footsteps drew closer. He lowered to the ground as he picked up the sack that had been left behind. Standing he looked around. That's when Faelyn jumped, using her body weight she threw him to the ground so he was under her. Before she had a chance to properly balance with a yelp she was rolled on to her back. His hands pinning mine above her head.

"Hawke?!"

Looking up she saw it had been Fenris. The lyrium tattoos which had lit up as he gained the advantage slowly dulled before dimming completely. He was so close that she could feel his panting breath against her cheek. His eyes started to darken as if his body was noticing our close proximity before his brain had.

"Um... Hi" Faelyn said with a small smile, chastising herself for just how breathless she sounded, hoping that he thought it was just from their little tumble "You can let me up now you know..."

It took a few seconds as she watched her words register. Never letting his eyes leave hers he slowly climbed off her, extending his hand to help her to her feet. He pulled harder than he needed to and caused herto stumble into his chest, his arms wrapped around her for support. Looking up into his face Faelyn saw that he was carefully watching her. Blushing, she gently pushed away before walking over to the sack of elfroot.

Bending down she let her hair fall over her face, allowing it to block his view while she watched him, hoping her heart beat would slow down, and soon. He stood there watching her every action, his slow appraisal of her body sent shivers down her spine. Standing, she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, trying to look everywhere other than the handsome elf in her company.

"What are you doing here?" "Why are you here?" they asked in unison.

Both of them turned, wearing the same shocked expression Faelyn started laughing. Holding up the sack she simply stated "elfroot." He just raised an eyebrow, awaiting an explanation.

Sighing "I collect it to make elfroot poultices. Most are given to those in Kirkwall who need them. Any that are left over I have sold at the market."

"Are you trying to make amends for something?" watching his face turn into a half smile made her heart skip a beat. Quickly turning she walked back into the clearing, calling over her shoulder "What can I say, I'm a sucker for helping those in need."

A question suddenly formed in her head and she turned to voice it, "How did you know I was here?"

"You walked across one of the walls in high town near the mansion, and I was.."

"Curious?" she inserted at his hesitance.

Chuckling he simply shrugged.

_Maker... He is not good for my blood pressure..._

They worked quietly together until the sack was full to the brim. Walking back, Faelyn took sideward glances. He was a good head taller than her, to others he still probably looked threatening even without his great sword placed on his back, but to her he didn't look as aggressive.

"So... Fenris? Does your name mean anything?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Searching for a safe topic. I could talk about great swords, but I only know so much about two handed weapons and going on last night, you're not very open with talking about mages."

A few minutes of silence went by. Just as she thought he wasn't going to answer, he spoke.

"It was the name Denarius gave me. His "little wolf," if I had a name beforehand, I do not remember. What of yours?"

"My father named me after the only dragon that was tamed in Thedas. In Orleasian it means "successful" but he found out it actually meant "flame" in ancient Arcanum."

"Ironic. Considering your hair colour"

Laughing she agreed "That's what he said as well. He used to boast that I was his successful flame much to mother's annoyance."

They settled back into silence as we climbed the wall. Using her acrobatic talents Faelyn jumped against the wall, kick off the tree and land perfectly on the top wall, earning her an "impressive…" They decided to walk on the streets as to cause less of a disturbance than walking on the walls at this time of the morning. As they neared the point where they'd part ways Faelyn realised that she didn't want the time with Fenris to end. Spinning to face him, leaning slightly forward so she had to tilt her head back a little more to look into his eyes.

"Do you have any plans for the rest of the morning?"

Whether it was the sudden question or close proximity Fenris suddenly seemed flustered. A faint hint of a blush rising on his cheeks.

_Puppy dog eyes strike again! If this's all I have to do to get a blush I am doing it more often..._

"No."_ Ah short and sweet…_

Smiling she grabbed his hand and pulled him through the alley to arrive at Gamlen's sooner. "Well you do now..." Watching his blush deepen caused her heart beat to speed up, turning her head she hoped that he didn't see her own blush.

After returning to grab the poultices that Beth had made the day before, they stopped off at the market to purchase bread and a few other goods before they entered Darktown. It was hard not to laugh as the community surrounded them. Having done this on a daily basis for six months Faelyn took it all in her stride, already on first name basis with most of those there. Fenris was another matter. Being the person who was holding most of the food the crowd constantly hovered around him. Most were too afraid to approach him, with his intimidating sneer and odd, glowing tattoos.

Indicating to a spot in the corner he walked over while Faelyn spoke to the people around her. It was hard not to smile with these people and soon she felt her cheeks hurting from laughing. She then spent the next hour handing out provisions to the families and orphans. Fenris still held the food and by the look on his face would not converse with others, so she went back and forth between him and everyone else. The parents would have tears in their eyes as they thanked her, nodding a wary smile to Fenris before going back to wherever they slept. The children would come up and give her a big hug before running off. As the last of them left she turned to find Fenris staring at her with a mixture of emotions on his face.

"What?"

He frowned, as if searching for the right words. "Why would you help these people?"

Putting her hands on her hips, "Why wouldn't I? Many of these people have gone through hardships, if I have it in her power to help in some small way I will."

Noting the confused look he still held she went on to explain further, "my father, he was a mage too. He had always helped people less fortunate than us, never asking for anything in return. It is something that I grew up witnessing," giggling at a memory, "it used to drive mother crazy, he would come home with wounded people and care for them until they were well, or do a job and somehow the money ended up paying for meals for orphans or those less fortunate."

Faelyn's eyes became glossy at the memories of him. The pain was still there but had faded slowly with time. She hadn't even realised she had let a tear fall until she gasped in surprise as Fenris's warm calloused fingers wiped it from her cheek. Looking up she met his eyes. They were gentle, as they had been the night before when I had defended Beth. her body hummed as a lyrium marking gently brushed off her skin, turning her face to lean into his hand as it cupped her cheek, her eye lids slowly closing. When he looked at her like this all he did was remind her of Leto. It was as if the world around them melted away and he hand finally found her just like he promised.

"Messare Safera!"

Faelyn jumped as the call brought her back to reality. Her eyes flew open to find just how close Fenris's lips had been from hers. Taking a step back she felt the heat of the blush rise from her neck until she knew for certain her face was beet red. Her mind was in such confusion because she knew he wasn't Leto, but he felt like Leto. At this point she wasn't sure if it was wishful thinking, his lyrium or something else. Deciding not to dwell on it she turned towards where the shout had originated from, ignoring the little chuckle coming from behind her. Faelyn's lips turned upwards in a gentle smile as she watched the little elf girl run towards her, not even aware that Fenris was watching her reaction to the intrusion intently.

Turning her face into one of mock shock she spoke, "And just who might you be young lady? I don't believe we've spoken before."

The young girl skidded to a halt in front of her, "Messare! It's me! Ryna!"

"Ryna... Ryna...? Nope don't believe I know you" trying to keep her lips from twitching as she fought off a smile.

_As if I didn't know who you were..._

Ryna had beautiful elven features, even though she was only fifteen years it was easy to see how striking she would become as an adult. Her golden hair was in a long braid, ending at her hips. Faelyn had taught her how to style her hair so, telling her that she should never be ashamed of who she was, while tucking a lose strand behind her pointed ear. She was wearing the tunic and pants that Beth had bought her, the dark green of the cloth complimented her pale skin perfectly.

The girl's silver eyes widened before she lunged at her, wrapping her arms around Faelyn in a fierce hug, burying her head against the clothing at her chest.

Wrapping her arms around Ryna, she let her cheek rest lightly on the top of her head and chuckled, "Oh that Ryna..."

Giggling Ryna pulled back. She looked over when Fenris made a movement behind Faelyn, blushing brightly before staring at the floor. Cupping her chin, Faelyn lifted it so she looked up at her, smiling down at her.

"And what can I do for you little one?"

"I'm not little anymore! I fought off three giant rats yesterday I'll have you know!"

"Oh her, what a fearsome warrior" feeling her smile widen, pleased that she had picked up archery so quickly only after a few lessons, "well what has you running and shouting her name so early in the day?"

Ryna's smile dropped and Faelyn watched with horror as she saw fear replace the joy in her eyes. "It's... it's Jaiden... He's not well and he's not getting better." her body tensed as she felt the blood drain from her face.

"Bring me to him Ryna" without even a backwards glance at Fenris she ran after the little girl. If she wasn't so worried, she would have noted the speed and grace of her steps.

Stopping in front of the small shack Faelyn had to crouch to enter. Her breath stopped and caught in her throat at what she saw. Jaiden was lying beneath a thin blanket on a makeshift bed. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and his brown eyes were open but unseeing. She removed the thin cover only to find the rest of his clothing was saturated. Pulling him on to her lap her heart jumped as she felt the immense heat coming from his body. Ryna was on the opposite side, tears in her eyes. Jaiden was the only family she had left; they and their mother had fled Fereldan only to have her die from some sickness on the ship over. Jaiden was only eight, he did not have the body strength to fight off disease as his sister did.

Feeling a presence behind her she knew Fenris had followed. Turning to him, "I need you to grab the small pouch I had, it contains poultices I may need and cloths-" as he handed her the very pouch she was talking about. Giving him a small smile. "Could you gather some water and make a small fire? I need to boil the water before I can use it." Fenris nodded and exited. She mentally started listing the questions she needed answers to.

"How long has he been like this?"

"Since yesterday afternoon. He wasn't this bad though, he got worse during the night."

Hearing the quiver in her voice she looked up to see Ryna crying and it all but broke her heart.

"When he said he wasn't well; did he have any symptoms? Sore tumher? Head?"

"He said his head was spinning and his leg hurt..."

Faelyn's head shot back to his body, quickly asking "Which leg?!"

Shakily she pointed to the right one. Rolling up the trouser leg to reveal a huge red welt on the back of his calf. The veins surrounding it had turned black and the surrounding skin a rotting purple.

"Shit!" Ryna jumped at Faelyn' exclamation.

Rolling the clothing up further she thought of every curse under the sun as she saw the black skin going higher. From her expression Ryna already knew something was wrong and started whimpering.

"Ryna" not even looking up as Faelyn placed her brother on his side and started taking items out of the pouch, "Do you remember where I live?" looking up to see her nod "Run there as fast as you can. Get Beth. Tell her to get the white vial from her trunk and get back here immediately."

Not questioning anything Ryna ran.

"Can the boy be saved?"

Not even turning to look as she continued with her task and answered, "Maybe, the poison has spread and fast" taking her dagger she ran it along the back of his calf, instead of blood a brown slug oozed from the cut "Jaiden is strong, stronger than he thinks. He'll make it." She was unsure whether she said this to Fenris or herself.

By pressing and pushing Faelyn forced as much of the ooze as possible from Jaiden's body. She could feel the sweat trickle down her cheek to her neck but paid little attention until Beth arrived.

"Oh blessed Andraste..."

Already barking orders "Fenris, guard the door" and felt him bristle at the order but she was too concerned with saving Jaiden that she cared little "Ryna, boil the water outside and put it in this bowl to cool down." Looking up at Beth with a stern gaze "Lets get to work."

Summoning up her mana she drained the poison from Jaiden's body while Beth performed a healing spell almost instantaneously after. Rolling him on to his back Faelyn tilted his head and poured the contents of the white vial into Jaiden's mouth, holding his nose until he swallowed it. Removing his clothes until he wore nothing but his small clothes; they washed the sweat from his body, using the water to cool him down. The poison had to be drained from him twice again. It wasn't until his breathing became less laboured and steadier that they relaxed. She exited the shack, leaving Beth to care for him.

"Ryna" she was sitting on the floor by the fire, staring into it as tears fell from her eyes "Ryna honey…" placing her hand on her shoulder, slowly she looked up "Jaiden's going to be alright". With that she burst into sobs as she wrapped her arms around Faelyn's neck and cried into her shoulder. She held her and rocked back and forth until she fell asleep in her arms. Placing her gently on the floor she covered her in the cloak which Beth had brought. As she went to stand the area spun and her knees buckled. Suddenly she felt arms hold her steady as she sagged against a strong and warm chest.

"How is the boy?"

"Fine. He's over the worst of it now" feeling her eyes close as she was held closer.

"Was it a sickness?"

"No. A spider bite. It's normally found in Fereldan though. The poison spreads rapidly, most of the time the victims show no symptoms. Luckily Jaiden did."

Fenris slowly lowered her to the ground. Even though they were seated he still didn't relinquish his hold on her. It was... comforting and confusing. We just sat there in silence for what seemed an age. She felt her eyelids close sleepily...

_I used a lot of mana draining the poison... And then I replenished Beth's twice as well..._

"The girl told me of how you met" Faelyn looked up to see that Fenris wasn't looking at her but was staring into the flames "that you attacked a gang of bandits to save her and her brother."

She blushed, remembering what happened. She had been on one of her night walks when she had heard talking. Following the noise she came upon a little elven boy and girl backed up against a wall. Surrounded by ten men, drunken men from the strong stench of liquor coming from their direction. The girl had stood defiant, defending the little boy. Just as one of the men went to hit her Faelyn had jumped down from her hiding spot and had stopped him. Afterwards beating up the other men as well. She became very fond of them quickly and even started to teach Ryna archery at her request.

"It is surprising to see you, a human, defending and caring for an elf."

Pulling herself away from him so quickly that she almost fell over and glared at him "You think I could have walked away from what they were doing?! Why should I have not helped her? Just because she was an elf and I, a human?" motioning her hand to indicate he was talking rubbish she continued "I have never cared about a person's race. You should have realised that when I defended her sister. A mage."

His expression changed quickly to amusement "I meant no insult. I have noticed that you do what you can to help others. It's just..." staring at the flames again as if that would help him find the correct words "You seem to care for this girl and her brother to a greater extent than those refugees earlier..."

Sighing she looked over to Ryna and she felt a warm smile form across her face, "She reminds me of herself. She is the eldest and protects her brother with such ferocity, much like I did at her age with Beth and Carver. I never had someone that I could turn to if I was upset or angry or confused" brushing a tendril of hair from her face Faelyn turned to Fenris "I want to be that for her, the support she can turn to when she feels weak."

Something unreadable moved across Fenris's expression. Staring into his eyes she barely registered that he had moved his body closer, cupped her chin and gently pulled her forward. When he gently brushed a kiss across her lips she felt as if she had been struck with electricity.

Everything about the touch screamed of familiarity and she was left dazed in confusion. If describing just physical appearances Leto would be day and Fenris was night. He had also made his hatred of magic clear, whereas, Leto loved magic. But something was telling her that there was something going on, she just couldn't figure out what it was. It also didn't help that her lips tingled and it left her yearning for more...


End file.
